Volkswagen interview with Mark Miller

15 days to the 2011 Dakar Rally
"Dakar" 2011: This will be my highlight - Mark Miller
Volkswagen factory driver Mark Miller and his South African
co-driver Ralph Pitchford are already looking forward to the
2011 Dakar Rally. The US American...

15 days to the 2011 Dakar Rally

"Dakar" 2011: This will be my highlight - Mark Miller

Volkswagen factory driver Mark Miller and his South African
co-driver Ralph Pitchford are already looking forward to the
2011 Dakar Rally. The US American from Arizona has already
contested the desert classic four times for Volkswagen since
2006. He has fond memories of the route on which the fifth
stage is held in January 2011.

The 423 kilometre long stage from Calama to Iquique in
northern Chile starts on bad, stony roads before crossing a
salt lake field. "The organisers' information states that
more than one hour is estimated for a very short stretch of
just a few kilometres. So, we can expect a very tough
opening to the stage," observes Mark Miller. "It's certainly
relatively difficult to be more precise beforehand about
this year's information. The organiser follows a different
information policy than the years before. We can plan our
routes even less than ever before."

The driver encounters wide, open ground without tracks
further along the stage on 6 January 6. Almost 100
kilometres of this type of terrain must be mastered. "Our
speed then obviously increases," expects Miller. "The
biggest surprise, however, is found after the dune section
right at the end: It's the downhill section to the bivouac."
For somebody who has never seen any pictures of this descent
the final kilometres of the fifth stage are best compared to
a downhill ski slope. "I still remember just how incredibly
steep the descent was last year," says Miller. "From the top
of the dunes you can see the ocean and beach. Then you dive
down the slope at 180 kmh. According to the organisers, the
gradient is 32 per cent, and the slope is almost
two-and-a-half kilometres long. Absolutely crazy! I've never
experienced anything like this in my motorsport career. This
descent is just compensation for all the obstacles and
challenges that we previously had to overcome. A fantastic
idea of the organiser's to include this spectacular section
again this year. It's simply first-class for us in the
cockpit, for the camera teams, the photographers and the
spectators."